Kiss Me, It's Beginning to Snow
by easytodancewith
Summary: Slight Angel Dumott Schunard/Mimi Marquez. Set a little before the time of RENT, Mimi is pretty new to the city of neon and chrome, and still very naïve. She happens to cross paths with Angel... in an alleyway, of all places.


"Whaddaya think?"

The crude features of The Man twisted into a sneer as he leaned in towards the young woman standing in front of him. A small packet dangled from between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, and he grasped one of her thin wrists with his left.

"I'll even give it to ya half price, as it's your first buy."

Indecision flickered across the girl's resolute expression. She looked at the floor, and when she spoke, her voice trembled.

"M... maybe…" She held out her hand uncertainly.

"Hey."

A feminine timbre, tone hard as steel, shattered the fragile moment. The girl spun around and The Man's eyebrows shot up nervously as he was met by a cool, impenetrable brown-eyed stare.

Their interrupter regarded them impassively, easily six feet tall in her platform shoes. She pressed her lips together and tilted her head in the direction of Avenue D.

"There was another murder last night. I was just over on Avenue D, and there are so many cops there now, it looks like a convention or something. I overheard one of them say he suspected it might be a local job."

The Man twitched. "What are you sayin' – they're comin' this way?"

The drag queen shrugged, and her voice lost some of its edge. "I'm just telling you what I heard, sugar."

The Man's eyes darted nervously between his prey and his informant. Deciding the deal wasn't worth the risk, he nodded at the girl and took off down the alleyway.

The girl let out a shaky breath and pushed some wayward curls behind her right ear. Her gaze dropped groundward once again, heavy with the realization of what she'd almost done. She could feel the dark eyes boring into her as she focused firmly on a long-discarded syringe. Hesitantly, she looked up. The cold, hard stare was long gone, replaced instead by a softness that exuded warmth and concern.

"You okay, honey?" The voice too had metamorphosed into something quiet and caring.

The girl shrugged her thin coat tighter around her shoulders. "Fine," she said with an air of false ease, before glancing sideways down the alley in the direction that The (now long-gone) Man had fled. "Thanks for –"

"Any time."

The girl's lips curved upwards ever so slightly – something that did not escape the drag queen's notice, even from beneath her long lashes. She batted these, then looked about her and wrinkled her nose.

"What do you say we get out of this place? It'll be dark soon."

The girl shivered and nodded. The drag queen took her cue and led the way up to the mouth of the alleyway until she emerged into the dusky evening and breathed in deeply, filling her lungs with fresh air. No sooner had she done this, she gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth in a theatrical fashion.

"Where are my _manners_?!" She hastily clasped the girl's hand. "Sorry – I'm Angel."

The girl's eyes sparkled. "Angel? Really?"

The shiny black wig bobbed up and down as the drag queen nodded her confirmation.

"Huh!" The beginnings of an amused grin tugged at the corners of the girl's mouth, but she refused to yield to it. "That's… ironic." She flashed Angel a bright smile, breaking the contemplative moment. "I'm Mimi. Marquez."

Angel nodded slowly. "I thought you were Latina, but it's getting so dark, I wasn't sure. The eyes give it away, though."

The sparkles in the aforementioned eyes danced bewitchingly in response to the compliment. "Yeah, same. So… you are too."

Angel nodded eagerly.

"And you're Angel... who?" the girl pressed.

The drag queen stopped nodding and bit her lip. "Mmm… my last name's not Latina."

Mimi raised an eyebrow. "Complicated."

Angel smiled a sweet smile. "Everybody is, sweetheart. Some people just hide it better, that's all."

Mimi tilted her head and found that she couldn't argue with that statement. Just then, Angel's face grew serious. She took Mimi's hand and squeezed it.

"Do me a favor, baby – don't go talking to that man again, okay?"

Mimi broke eye contact and tried to turn her head away, but Angel's smooth hand cupped her chin, making her face forward.

"Those potions he's peddling – those powders…" She caught Mimi's eyes and held them firmly. "He may dish them out like candy, but they're not nearly as harmless." She tightened her hold on Mimi enough to emphasize her point, but not enough to hurt the girl. "I wouldn't want you getting hooked on the stuff, is all."

Eyes huge, Mimi nodded. "Okay."

Only then did Angel relinquish her grip. "And girl, this is my turf, so if you go back to him, I'll find out." Her tone wasn't threatening, merely kind and a little world-weary.

"I… I won't," Mimi promised falteringly.

"Good." Angel's voice softened. "Listen, sugar, I know you don't know me, but I was just trying to…" She trailed off as Mimi rested a hand on her arm.

"I know," Mimi said quietly.

They stood there for a few moments, each locked into the other's gaze, transfixed by the other's face. Neither was sure precisely how long they stayed like that; it felt like an eternity, and yet it felt like no time at all.

Presently, a snowflake fell from the ever-darkening sky to nestle in Mimi's dark hair. For a fraction of a second she broke eye contact to look up at the sky.

"It's beginning to snow," she observed in a whisper. On looking back at her companion, she felt suddenly as if she were being pulled into Angel's dark eyes.

Angel exhaled slowly, her breath turning to vapor as it came into contact with the cold air. She leaned forward several inches and placed a chaste kiss on Mimi's lips, causing a shiver to run right through the girl's body. Then she stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself as meager protection from the cold.

"You should go inside – get warm. Do you live around here?"

"Yeah," Mimi replied huskily. The cold air made her lips sting. "Right on Avenue B."

Angel smiled gently. "Lucky for you, that's a part of my turf too," she said whimsically. "May I walk you home?"

Mimi felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "No, I'll be fine, it's – it's not far."

Conscious of the likelihood that her face was now flaming, she began backing up hurriedly.

Angel stood her ground and raised a hand, wiggling the tips of her fingers slightly in an understated wave.

Mimi flushed further then spun around, ducking her head to hide her burning cheeks.

"Maybe our paths will cross again, honey," the drag queen called after Mimi's retreating figure. "Who knows where?" she finished a little sadly.

Just then a small white flake entered Angel's peripheral vision from above, and fluttered down to cling wetly to her cheek. She brushed it away, but it was immediately replaced by another, and then another. With a sigh she smoothed down her skirt, re-wrapped her arms around her slender body, spun on her platform wedges and disappeared into the Manhattan night.


End file.
